title: Motivational interviewing in a web-based physical activity intervention: questions and reflections.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to identify which question/reflection format leads to the most favorable results in terms of effect on autonomous motivation and appreciation for the intervention in a web-based computer-tailored physical activity (PA) intervention, based on principles from self-determination theory (SDT) and motivational interviewing (MI). For this purpose, a randomized trial was conducted among 465 Dutch adults, comparing three web-based computer-tailored MI/SDT PA interventions, including (i) exclusively open-ended questions (without skillful reflections), (ii) exclusively multiple choice questions (with skillful reflections) and (iii) including both question types (with skillful reflections). Measurements included motivation-related determinants of PA and process variables, measured at baseline, directly following the intervention and 1-month post-intervention. Results suggest that open-ended questions represent an important element in web-based MI in terms of effect on autonomous motivation. In order to optimize appreciation of the intervention, a combination of both open-ended and multiple choice question types seems to hold most promise. The findings of this study suggest that both open-ended and multiple choice questions should be included in web-based computer-tailored SDT/MI PA interventions. More research is needed to reveal the optimal configuration of this novel intervention type.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Open University of the Netherlands, Heerlen, The Netherlands stijn.friederichs@ou.nl.
authors.forename: Stijn A H
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Friederichs
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Education and Promotion, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oenema
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Open University of the Netherlands, Heerlen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bolman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Open University of the Netherlands, Heerlen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Janneke
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guyaux
authors.affiliation: Expertise Center Life Style, TNO, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hilde M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Van Keulen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Open University of the Netherlands, Heerlen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Lilian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lechner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D062405:Motivational Interviewing / Q000379:methods*; D009426:Netherlands; D026684:Personal Autonomy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: internet; motivational interviewing